Shinta's Choice
by geckohawaii
Summary: Hiko is frustrated with his new deshi. Shinta's name has changed, but he still has to choose what path in life he will take.


_Excuse the horrendous title, I'm no good at coming up with them. Meh, I am somewhat unsatisfied with this story, I feel like it isn't as cohesive as my other two one-shots. But mostly I did it as a 1000 word exercise for myself. "But," you say, "it's listed as having only 995 words!" Yes, I noticed that, but my Word program says 1000. I'm not sure where the discrepancy is, but as I don't want to count the words myself and I wrote it on Word, I'm saying it's 1000._

Two figures, every aspect about them a study in contrast, huddled inside a hut around a fire. Despite their proximity to each other, the tension between them was tangible. The more mature of the two, a bulk of a man, expelled a heavy breath that could have signaled either frustration or resignation. 

Hiko Seijurou stared moodily at the shifting flames. He was not a patient man by nature, and recent circumstances had tested his patience to the brink of insanity. For the umpteenth time that day Hiko snatched a glance at the figure to his right, a boy who looked no more than five. The child sat despondently, dwarfed by Hiko's powerfully built frame. Truth be told, the boy was going on 8. The threadbare gi he wore made it painfully obvious he was nothing but skin and bones. The thick, carrot-colored hair that crowned his head was pulled back into a tiny _mage_. Orange strands had come loose and drifted across his pale face, accentuating his waif-like appearance. He hardly seemed the type to engender anything other than ease or a calm self-assurance in another, but this boy, this undersized weakling, was the reason for Hiko's frustration. It had only been a few days since Hiko had taken the child under his wing. It had been his plan to train the boy in Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu, as a possible successor for himself if it turned out that way. True, Hiko was still young, fit as an ox and exceedingly handsome but there would come a day, be it far in the future or not, when he would have to name a successor or let his art die with him. This war-scarred youngster had seemed to be the perfect choice. He was still malleable, physically and mentally, and he had the heart and courage a truly great swordsman should possess. Of course he wouldn't be as good-looking as Hiko, or have even a margin of his strength but Hiko acknowledged that he was a hard ideal to live up to.

Things had not gone as Hiko had foreseen. Despite the amazing strength of will and courage he'd seen the boy possessed, it was as if he had lost it all the day Hiko took him in. True, it had only been a day, but already Hiko was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake. "Oi. Kenshin."

The boy lifted red-rimmed blue eyes to look at Hiko. "Hai, Shishou?"

Hiko wasn't one to be moved by pathos, but he almost winced at the hollow look of despair in Kenshin's eyes. If he just knew what was _wrong_ with the boy, what was bothering him so he could fix it and get on with training! Hiko didn't believe in coddling of any sorts, but looking into Kenshin's vacant stare was almost enough to make him do a 180 degree change in his views. Almost. 

"Kenshin, enough is enough," Hiko thought he saw a quiver in Kenshin's eye. "You've done nothing but mope since yesterday. This− behavior−is unfit for a swordsman. When I took you in, you said you wanted to learn to protect," Hiko stared into Kenshin's eyes, now wide and somewhat less vacant than before. The despair was still there. "Answer me Kenshin. Is this what you want?" Kenshin opened his mouth, closed it, furrowed his brow. 

"I have to." He answered finally. "I have to learn to protect. Because- because-" Hiko rolled his eyes mentally. The boy was starting to cry now, although he was happy to see they weren't tears of helplessness. "Because . . . They said I was brave. But I wasn't!" Kenshin scrubbed a fist across his eyes and gave a loud sniff. "I wasn't at all, I promised Akane and Kasumi I would protect them and I broke my promise. I can't break my promise. Kasumi tried to stop me and I let her. I tried I think. I told them I really tried. I tell them every night," Hiko shook his head.

"You tell them every night?"

Kenshin drew a shuddering breath. "I dream about them. Do you think they believe me?" He focused his gaze on Hiko's, and Hiko almost winced at the all-too-mature agony he saw beneath the undisguised childlike hope in Kenshin's eyes. He wasn't much of a therapist, but if the boy was to get 

anywhere in his training, Hiko knew he had to either assuage his feelings of guilt, or focus them into something positive, and he had little experience with the former. 

Hiko met the boy's gaze. "Kenshin, listen. You did what you could for your friends. Unfortunately it wasn't good enough but it's for the best this way. Akane and Kasumi and Sakura knew there was nothing they could do about this madness in the world. You were their hope, Kenshin. They chose to save you, and now it's your choice whether or not to respect their wishes and try to mold yourself into a person who can protect the future,"

Kenshin was listening solemnly, watching Hiko's face without blinking.

"I can mold you, Kenshin, but you need to train as hard as you can. If you can't put your heart into it, I can't help you. " Hiko knew it was a pivotal moment, one that would determine the course of the boy's life. He would either choose to make something of himself now, or be forever dragged down by guilt and despair until he eventually wasted away. 

Kenshin was silent for a long while, regarding Hiko with eyes that were still red-rimmed but now dry of tears. Hiko could see he recognized the weight behind his choice. When Kenshin spoke, his voice was clear and unfaltering. "I want to protect people. I want you to train me. Train me to be strong,"

Hiko let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He didn't know exactly what to expect from the boy, but somehow he would play a significant role in the history of Japan. "I will, Kenshin," 

_mage - topknot, small ponytail._

_shishou - master_

_sidenote I say that Kasumi grabbed Shinta, but I'm not sure if it was Kasumi or Sakura.I don't believe it's specified in the manga or OAVs, but if anyone knows otherwise, please tell me._


End file.
